


Finding Loki

by Harpyn8



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: FrostFalcon, M/M, Sam Wilson - Academy's greatest detective, samloki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-03 08:14:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13337097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harpyn8/pseuds/Harpyn8
Summary: Loki had not challenged Sam to a "duel" this month, had not made Academy dogs yelp or Archives' books open to the sound of farts and was nowhere to be seen for a week. What had happened to the trickster god? Sam would find out. Because an appointment is an appointment. Not because he cared about Loki.





	1. Chapter 1

  Sam was worried. Well, not really worried, more like perplexed.

Loki was nowhere to be seen, had been nowhere to be seen for a week. And no one in Avengers Academy seemed to care, or even notice.

Loki had had such periods of time where he wouldn't appear on campus for days on end. After all, he was an Asgardian prince, and as far as Sam knew, princes had duties to their kingdoms to perform and... stuff. But usually Loki would announce to anyone who wanted to listen what kind of a glorious purpose Odin or Frigga had burdened him with, in which realm, and what sorcery he was going to use, and why the failure was not in the cards (it usually was). Not this time. It'd been a week, and prior to his disappearance from the campus grounds, Loki had not made even one smug peep. Something was off.

Now why was Sam of all people concerned about all that? First of all, he was not concerned, maybe _annoyed_ because, second of all, he had a thing, an appointment kind of, with Loki. It was for a stupid thing they did, or more accurately a stupid thing Loki demanded Sam do with him.

Every month Loki would stalk up to Sam, look him up and down, and challenge him to a contest. This had started way back at the beginning of their acquaintanceship, when they'd spent some time in Stark's hot tub together. Sam knew Loki had disliked him from the start, which only made him not want to leave the hot tub first, he was going to milk that sour look as long as possible. In the end, Tony left first, complaining that his fingers and toes felt like centuries old turtle skin, but they could stay as long as they wanted. Which they did, for hours, because neither would leave the hot tub first. What finally made them leave was an attack by AIM, and Fury yelling through the speakers at everyone to take battle stations. Loki had given him a squinty look and a huffy "Later, Wilson," and deliberately splashing water all over the place, got up and left. Sam had no idea what that "later" would entail.

One month later to a second, Loki sauntered up to him, looked him up and down, and, in a voice filled with disdain and contempt for his surroundings, said, "Bird-Man, I challenge you to a duel."

The duel, of course, was not a real duel. Loki challenged him to a dance-off at Club A. They danced for almost twelve hours that day. It was a fierce competition, one man against the other, giving it all they had in all the dancing styles they knew. Until somehow it turned into something else. Somehow, they'd started dancing together, and not just any dance, they somehow ended up dancing Acrobatic Rock'n'Roll, to everyone's amazement. They flipped each other to the music, splits happened, twirls the likes of which were never again seen on the Academy grounds... Until Loki decided all the gathered peasants (or was it peons?) who gathered to ogle them were unworthy of his best performance. He killed the music with a flick of his fingers, shook Sam's hand and said, "I call this one a draw." Sam only managed a small, tired smile before he was whisked away by a group of his friends amidst exclamations of "What even?!"

Next month saw Loki challenge Sam to a fitness duel, the one after that to another dance-off, this time at the Club Galaxy, then it was, in chronological order: an eating contest, a Hydra-busting contest, magic contest when Sam briefly wore the Serpent Crown, a flying contest, an outfit contest, and finally, the previous month it had been a simple chess game. Somehow Loki found out Sam was great at chess and decided to put that to the test. They played four games, were tied, had just started the fifth, deciding game, when Hydra attacked using some kind of a tectonic device. Loki's angry face when the first earthquake hit and the chessboard toppled over was priceless.

This month's challenge was supposed to have happened three days ago. And even before that, Sam noticed a distinct lack of trickster energy on the campus. Just the small stuff, the lack of whoopee cushions in the Archives, lack of intricate traps in the Avengers Park, lack of horrified screams in Club A reserved for Loki's boil-that-drink pranks. Then there was the lack of Loki walking around the campus, laughing evilly, zapping campus dogs with his staff, getting chased by them to random trees. Just the regular morning Loki things.

After three days of thinking about it more than he'd ever admit, Sam finally decided to find out for himself where Loki had gone. Just to be sure all those dogs he'd zapped with his signature evil cackle didn't form a revenge gang and ate him or something.

First person he was sure had to know where Loki had gone was Odin, his father. Sam took off into the skies and looked for the All-Father at his usual spot, the Asgardian Gauntlet.

"Have you come here to bring honor to your name by engaging in glorious battle?" Odin said by way of greeting to the hovering Sam.

"Not today, All-Father," Sam said. "I have a question, about your son, Loki?" He landed by the old god.

"He's male small. And... think green and gold. Never food!"

"I know. I mean... no. That's not - "

"Well then, what do you want to know, brave Falcon?"

"Where is he? If... if you can tell me? If not, I get it."

"Why, he's in Alfheim. He traveled there a week ago, to bring me a present from Ljósálfar, but shh," Odin put a massive finger to his white moustache, "do not say a word of this to anyone. It's a surprise."

That was weird. Odin's birthday party had taken place just a few months ago, Sam attended and had a swig of Asgardian firewater, it burnt his nostrils and all. Also, for Loki of all people to go find a present for Odin on a whim was just... unbelievable. As in: Sam couldn't believe it was a thing that happened.

"Oh, right! Loki is such a good son to you, must do that kind of thing all the time?" Sam said, probing.

Odin laughed, a hearty, booming laughter, like Sam'd just said a really funny joke.

"Yes, he really is," Odin said finally, coughing a little.

"But he can't keep a secret under your all-seeing eye?" Sam tried.

"Yes!" Odin said straightening up a little. "Well, my all-seeing eye and Enchantress' all-blabbing tongue."

"Oh..." Sam said, not betraying the thoughts that whirled in his mind. "I... have to go study for my history test now, have a good day, sir."

"Thank you, Falcon, be sure to visit more often. You are in my favour, brave boy!"

"I will," Sam said, nodding, and left the Gauntlet.

He hoped Odin was joking about the 'favor' part. He'd read up on Asgard for Loki's challenges, and Odin's favor was not a good thing to have. Not always. Mostly not.

But now he had a new person to find and ask about Loki's whereabouts - the Enchantress.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam had no idea where to even start looking for Enchantress. He took off and flew above the campus, intently looking for any sign of Enchantress's blonde hair.

He'd lost hope of finding her, thinking she'd probably done her usual thing, locked herself in the gym for some exercise. Which meant she'd be there for hours. Then he saw her, exiting the SHIELD HQ and gliding, as per usual, towards the Asgardian Forge. Falcon swooped down, he had to catch her before she warded herself off for hours of enchanting goblets and other weird stuff.

He landed in front of her, she almost stepped on him. She squinted at him in a mean way.

"What do you want, peasant?" she said in a cold voice.

"You look beautiful, what am I saying, you look radiant today," Sam started. He knew he had to be smart about this and being complimentary was always the smart tactic with Enchantress.

Enchantress nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Proceed, mortal."

"All I want to know is, how does such an amazing goddess deal with all the envy thrown her way?"

Enchantress huffed, threw back her head. "Quite easily, mortal. I make them adore me. The ones who refuse, I dispose of them." She looked at Sam darkly, "It's a curse sometimes, to be this beautiful."

Sam sighed as if in agreement with everything Enchantress'd just said, "It must be..."

Now how to ask about Loki, but without asking about Loki?

"And if they are as powerful as you are?" Sam tried.

Enchantress gave him another mean look, but this time it came with a dose of green shimmery magic forming a transparent veil around her, "You think there's someone in this realm or any other as powerful as the Enchantress!?" she said in an amplified voice, her hair fluttering around her face menacingly. It was like something out of the Lord of the Rings.

Sam was used to such displays of power from the Asgardian students, however. He pretended to cower a little anyway, to get on her good side.

"No, no, of course not," Sam said. For a good measure, he raised his hands as if to shield himself.

Enchantress got back to her normal self, smiled angelically and conjured up a mirror, she used it to adjust her hair some by running her fingers through the windswept strands. Which was when Sam noticed something weird. Enchantress' hair didn't look right. Upon further inspection he decided it definitely looked fake. Oh it looked like a really good fake, but Enchantress' real hair was stuff every blonde's dream was made of. No fake could ever measure up.

Sam decided to try something. "Hey, I was always wondering, what do you do to make your hair look so soft and shiny? Lately it's looking better than ever, oh Beautiful One!"

Enchantress stopped fiddling with her locks and gave him a suspicious look from behind the small mirror. She banished the mirror and advanced toward Sam.

"What do you know?" She said stabbing a well-manicured finger through the air in close proximity to Sam's nose, looking... angry and desperate all at once.

"Nothing... I was just. You know, wondering?" He shrugged and smiled stupidly.

She squinted at him again, then relaxed and said, "Just the usual, unicorn tears, dragon scales, one per bottle, otherwise you get an itchy scalp, and a secret ingredient that only works for me." Her smile turned angelic once more.

"Oh, that's... good to know. Sorry for bothering you, oh gorgeous Enchantress." He bowed his head.

She huffed a laugh and walked off to the Forge.

Sam knew this meant she'd be occupied for hours. Something about her behaviour bugged him. The fake hair, the outburst when he asked about her hair, all of it was really suspicious. Add to that the fact that she was the one who told Odin where Loki was, Sam just knew he had to search her room for the clues.

And he knew just the man who could help him. The best thief in all of the Academy.

 

He found Ant-Man at the Archives, cracking codes on the Archives computer.

"I need your help," Sam whispered.

Scott jumped a little, turned around, gave him a big smile. "Wilson, my man!" he yelled out.

Sam shushed him. "I need your skills, you the greatest thief around here or what?"

"You know it," Scott said, getting up gingerly, almost toppling the desk.

Sam took him by the elbow, and directed him to the exit. Everyone knew no info was safe at the Archives, the books had eyes, and ears, and other body parts sometimes.

Outside, Scott still had that goofy grin on his face. "So, who're we robbing?"

"No one. It's a... just an investigation. Very hush hush though."

"I'm Mister Hush Hush, Falc." Scott said in a not-at-all-hushed tone of voice.

"Alright. I need you to help me break into Enchantress' room."

Scott's face blanched. His lips formed a silent "What?!"

"I think she..." How to put this and not put Scott off it? He took Scott by the elbow again and guided him behind Pym's Lab (best place to discuss any kind of secret business, on account of all the deafening explosions happening inside). The time it took for them to find a good spot gave Sam enough time to think up a good way of selling Scott on the idea of breaking into one of the most dangerous students' room.

"Look," he said seriously, "I think Enchantress stole something very expensive from some very bad people."

Scott looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh..."

"She won't give it back, because she thinks no one can find out it was her. But the word on the street is, the bad guys know already and are going to come for her."

"Oh... Oh! So we are stealing this thing to sell it on the black market and let her take the fall?" Scott looked very pleased with himself.

"No! We are helping a lady in danger!" Sam said incredulously. "I thought you were over all that stealing and selling to the highest bidder stuff?"

"I am," Scott said, embarrassed. "It's just the whispering and hiding and maybe stealing... I don't know what got into me, man." He looked down.

"Yeah, I get it, made the old Scott float up to the surface. But I'm talking us being the knights and doing the right thing." Sam almost felt bad about this.

"Yeah, right! Knights Wilson and Lang, here to save the day!" Scott smiled.

"So here's what I need you to do," Sam said, putting a hand on Scott's shoulder. "You'll go tiny and break into Enchantress' room. She's enchanting at the forge, so she won't be there for hours. I'm gonna come in when you open the door for me. Do _not_ investigate without me. I know what she took, you don't, for your own sake."

Scott nodded. He seemed pretty excited. They left the security of the Pym Lab, and slowly walked toward the Avengers Dorm, talking on the way there about "football stuff".

 

Once at the dorm, Scott shrunk and landed on Sam's shoulder. Sam pretended to be going to his own room, and when the coast was clear he quickly sneaked up to Enchantress' door, where Scott set to working on the lock.

Scott did his part in a minute or so, Sam opened the door, closed it again and let Scott lock it again. Inside, he felt dizzy with surprise and disbelief. On the inside, Enchantress' room was huge. There was a golden fountain in the middle of this large, golden space decorated with ornate floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and a golden staircase on each side, behind the fountain there were two doors, each with large strange letter-looking signs shimmering at the top.

Scott, in his real size, appeared at Sam's side. "That one is a toilet," he pointed at one of the doors with the strange lettering.

"How do you know?" Sam said, still dazed and overwhelmed by all the gold. He was more of a neutral colors guy when it came to interior decorating.

"I... might have learned some Asgardian Futhark for a job once." Scott said softly, looking at his feet.

"Good," Sam said. "What does the other say?"

"Hmm, not sure, could be 'beauty' or 'rabid squirrels', that script is not very familiar."

"We'll try those rabid squirrels then," Sam said, nodding.

They walked to the door in question. Once there, Sam reached for the knob. 


End file.
